Snorkeling John Pennekamp State Park

Hi Fashionistas,

Our Florida vacation is over and we are back in LA. I miss laying on the beach all-day and tan. Instead of swimming in turquoise water, I spent most of my day in my office in front of the computer. But I still want to share with you what we did on our last day in the keys...

On our last day in the keys were debating on what we should be doing. First, we eat breakfast in the hotel, and similar to the hotel in Miami, there are many restrictions during the pandemic. So the breakfast was not the greatest.

 

After checking out, we decided to drive to Key Largo, which is about an hour drive from Key West. Key Largo is known for its John Pennekamp State Park, where you can go snorkeling. If the weather allows, you can even book a tour that takes you to a sunken Jesus statue. 

The idea was to book a tour that takes us to that statue, but unfortunately, wave conditions did not allow us to see it. So instead, the snorkeling tour took us to a gorgeous reef. The reef was absolutely stunning. We've seen so many reefs in the past, but it looks totally different every time you visit one. We’ve seen a lot of barracudas and other colorful fish hiding in the corals. They were also an abundance of huge shells. We spent almost 2 hours in the water discovering the underwater world. The number of people on the board was relatively small, and I felt safe during the pandemic. 

After our snorkeling trip, we thought we would check out the beaches at John Pennekamp State Park, but we quickly decided to call it a day. The beaches are not bordering the ocean but instead are located next to the mangroves. Due to the heavy rainfalls, the water looked mucky and had a strong odor. The beach area is small and therefore too crowded to have a relaxed day. 

If you plan to visit John Pennekamp State Park, opt-in for a water activity that takes you to the ocean. You won’t be able to swim in the ocean unless you book a snorkeling trip. You can also go kayaking in the mangroves, but you won’t be able to kayak all the way to the ocean. 

Thanks for stopping by!